Allen Toussaint, who died last night aged 77, apparently just minutes after coming off stage in Madrid, was the soul of New Orleans. The song “Southern Nights“, which Toussaint wrote and performed, was later covered by country star Glen Campbell and hip-hop artists in the ’80s and ’90s often sampled from his songs. But the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer stopped breathing en route to a nearby hospital and workers could not revive Toussaint a second time.
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The Rolling Stones, who covered many of Toussaint’s songs, took to Twitter to mourn his passing and post several videos of the band playing his songs, including “Fortune Teller” and “Pain in My Heart”. In the 60s and early 70s, Toussaint worked for Minit Records and Instant Records, then began a long collaboration with Marshall Sehorn recording on their own label under a variety of names before creating their own studio (Sea-Saint) in 1973.
In 1988, I was sitting in the sun at the Jazz and Heritage Festival listening to the great New Orleans blues guitarist and singer Earl King when I noticed Allen Toussaint sitting on the grass just a few feet away.
According to the NY Times, his daughter, Alison Toussaint-LeBeaux, confirmed his death in an email, and stated that the cause appeared to be a heart attack.
Toussaint was in the middle of a series of concerts in the United Kingdom and Europe when he died. He also received the prestigious honor, the National Humanities Award, from President Barack Obama in 2013.
Bonnie Raitt said in a statement: “I’m so deeply saddened to hear of the loss of my dear friend, Allen Toussaint”. He was set to play a benefit for the New Orleans Artists Against Hunger and Homelessness on December 8.
A lifelong New Orleans resident, the songwriter and pianist reluctantly fled in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina devastated the city, temporarily relocating to NY. When the group struck out on its own, Toussaint was a natural choice to produce.
Toussaint had played in Bilbao on Sunday and was next scheduled to perform in Antwerp, Belgium, on Thursday as part of his tour. Allen’s first recording (for RCA) as Al Tousan included his song “Java”, which became a Number One hit for Al Hirt in 1964.
“We kind of had a common ground where his creativity helped my career and he always said that my voice helped inspire him to write, so I guess that’s where the friendship was”, Thomas said.
Mr. Toussaint was one of the guiding forces in the creation of the pop music that would become known as funk. “The music community has lost a true icon”. I know he is loved by a lot of people from New Orleans and around the world for helping them in their careers.
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As the years went by, my belief that Allen Toussaint could make me a star transformed into something of a pipe dream.
